The world’s largest indoor farm is set to be built in the Abu Dhabi desert. The GreenFactory Emirates is an ambitious farming project housing a 7.5-hectare plot with a cultivation area spanning 160,000 square metres. The record-breaking indoor farm is “instrumental” to the UAE’s drive to boost local agriculture and improve its food security, according to Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister of State for Food Security. It is also key to developing more “sustainable food systems” in the Emirates.
Launched by Abu Dhabi's RainMaker Capital Investment in partnership with Dutch company GrowGroup IFS, the project has set an ambitious goal: to produce 10,000 tonnes of food each year. The high-technology facility will house an indoor growing system combining vertical and flat farming to grow fruits and vegetables in an arid climate.
Not only will the farm be designed to grow many tonnes of food in the desert, the project is also more eco-friendly than traditional farming. Its advanced methods can reduce water consumption by an impressive 95 per cent and cut carbon footprint by 40 per cent.
Investing in agriculture is crucial for any country striving for self-reliance and food security. Last month, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, said the Covid-19 pandemic had pushed the country to make its food and water security strategy a top priority.
The UAE has harnessed the power of technology to grow food locally for quite some time. Developing the agritech industry has become all the more important today as global supply chains are disrupted by Covid-19 restrictions and an economic recession, driving demand for local or regional goods.
GreenFactory Emirates is only the latest agriculture feat to take root in the UAE. Earlier this year, Abu Dhabi Investment Office launched a $100 million fund to develop agritech in the country. Staple vegetables such as tomatoes and potatoes, which normally cannot grow in a desert climate, are now locally produced and widely available in supermarkets all over the UAE.
Gulf countries have had unexpected success stories when it comes to local agriculture. Saudi Arabia for instance, has developed a dairy industry that is renowned in the region.
Desert agriculture has become a reality thanks to experts from all four corners of the world. International co-operation is a driver for agritech in the Gulf, even as countries look to grow their food and produce goods more locally. For instance, the Netherlands' embassy played an important role in bringing together the two businesses behind GreenFactory Emirates.
Desert agriculture has become a reality thanks to experts from all four corners of the world
"We hope to intensify our co-operation with the UAE to further develop the local agriculture ecosystem," Dutch ambassador to the UAE Lody Embrechts told The National.
Another project combining international expertise with local talent was announced in June. UAE scientists and South Korean experts plan to grow rice in the Sharjah deserts.
The UAE is renowned for breaking boundaries in all sectors, including science and innovation. In the past year alone, the nation has sent an astronaut to space and launched the Middle East’s first civilian nuclear programme. The Emirates continues to invest massively in local agriculture – and is already reaping results in produce. Emirati agritech is proof that with good will, hard work and a long-term vision, nothing is impossible.
Du Plessis plans his retirement
South Africa captain Faf du Plessis said on Friday the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia in two years' time will be his last.
Du Plessis, 34, who has led his country in two World T20 campaigns, in 2014 and 2016, is keen to play a third but will then step aside.
"The T20 World Cup in 2020 is something I'm really looking forward to. I think right now that will probably be the last tournament for me," he said in Brisbane ahead of a one-off T20 against Australia on Saturday.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
Women & Power: A Manifesto
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Profile Books and London Review of Books
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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The specs
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The squad traveling to Brazil:
Faisal Al Ketbi, Ibrahim Al Hosani, Khalfan Humaid Balhol, Khalifa Saeed Al Suwaidi, Mubarak Basharhil, Obaid Salem Al Nuaimi, Saeed Juma Al Mazrouei, Saoud Abdulla Al Hammadi, Taleb Al Kirbi, Yahia Mansour Al Hammadi, Zayed Al Kaabi, Zayed Saif Al Mansoori, Saaid Haj Hamdou, Hamad Saeed Al Nuaimi. Coaches Roberto Lima and Alex Paz.
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
England squad
Joe Root (captain), Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Gary Ballance, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Ben Stokes (vice-captain), Moeen Ali, Liam Dawson, Toby Roland-Jones, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood, James Anderson.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
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